How to present language skills in a German resume — Germany Career Coach | Germany Job Search, Online Courses and Coaching (2024)

In your German resume you need to display your native and foreign language skills in a way that the employer can understand. This is important because you want the employer to have a clear understanding of what your abilities are in each language.

Language proficiency levels should always be listed in your German resume, regardless of if you write it in English or in German. Most people know this because they see language proficiency asked for in the vast majority of job descriptions in Germany. You may see for example descriptions such as in the following table, which explains what these descriptions mean.

Source: Adapted from absolventa

Understanding these different levels and what employers mean by them is the first, and arguably, easiest step in this process. The complication is how exactly to display those skills, and even in some cases if to display certain language skills or experiences (certificates, language schools, etc.). Let’s take a deep dive into displaying your language skills on your German resume. Here are the steps to this process:

1. Choose which languages you want to include

2. Determine your level of proficiency for each language

3. Choose a textual and numerical description of each language proficiency level

4. Decide (for each language) whether or not to include extra supporting documentation of your language proficiency (certificates, language school attendance, etc.)

5. Merge together and display your language skills on your resume in text (not icon!) format

6. Choose to include a separate language section, a merged skills section including languages, and whether or not you will add additional information about your language skills to other parts of your German resume

Let’s now walk through each of these steps one by one.

Are you actually bilingual? Choosing which languages to display

You should always include your mother tongue, German, and English. Beyond those, include languages you are familiar with, but make sure you really can use them at the level you indicate.

Please remember, the most important thing is that you can actually perform at the level you list. Do not ever lie or fib (e.g. exaggerate) about it. This is the same if you have a language certificate, but you do not actually speak that language anymore. Do not list it! You never know who will be at your interview and you do not want to get in the situation of being exposed as exaggerating or misrepresenting accomplishments and abilities on your application. It will make the employer wonder if you were dishonest about something else. On a similar note, remain consistent with presenting your languages across platforms (LinkedIn, Xing, your resume, etc.).

Finally, be careful with “bilingual” - make sure you are actually bilingual when you choose this option. Bilingual is normally understood to mean being exposed since childhood, such as through parents who spoke two different languages to you. When representing your language skills, being bilingual is not just the mere ability to speak two languages. It’s an easy confusion because this term is used differently across countries, so for Germany just only use it if you had the parent situation I mentioned or something similar.

Improving the language skills section on your German resume

Let’s begin with an illustrative example. There are a multitude of ways to display your language skills in your German resume. As with most things when it comes to resumes, there is not a do or a don’t, but rather a rule about consistency. Stick to a structure for explaining your skills. For example, do not do this:

• German: basic

• Spanish: B1

• English: TOEFL

• Turkish: professional working proficiency

• French: mother tongue

• Japanese: two-week language course

I have no idea what you mean by basic or professional working proficiency, or how that differs from B1. Depending on the person looking at your resume, they may also not be familiar with TOEFL. And if you do display TOEFL but not a score, what does that tell me?

So, first things first: order the languages. Start either with your mother tongue or with German. I prefer starting with your mother tongue and working your way through the languages you know. For example, here is how you could order your language skills in your German resume using the previous example:

• French: mother tongue

• Turkish: professional working proficiency

• Spanish: B1

• English: TOEFL

• German: basic

• Japanese: two-week language course

Next up, let’s figure out which skill level and description you should include for each language.

Determine your language skill level

Naturally, we still have the issue of ranking the languages. There are several ways to describe your language skills, and also several scales you can use to differentiate between different levels. The two most commonly used scales are the Common European Framework for Reference of Languages (CEFR) and the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency levels (additionally, there are also IRL levels). Almost 100% of the time you should be using the CEFR in your application. To gauge your level of proficiency, the CEFR offers an assessment grid in multiple languages, here are the English and German versions. The ACTFL also has descriptions of its proficiency levels. If for some reason these grids are hard for you to work with, take a look at this language testing site to do a test of your proficiency level.

Presenting language level accurately

One of the biggest challenges then becomes which scale to stick to when writing your language skills on your German resume. For example, the CEFR uses “basic, independent or proficient user” as their descriptors. Beyond these scales, professional social media such as LinkedIn and Xing also offer their own versions of language proficiency levels.

LinkedIn language levels seem to be based heavily on the U.S. Department of State language proficiency levels. ACTFL levels listed below also differ from the CEFR and the LinkedIn levels.

The following table merges ACTFL, CEFR, LinkedIn and Xing to represent the numerical (e.g. A1) and textual (e.g. “beginner”) description options. If you are curious about what the German terms mean exactly, this guide (in German) provides examples.

Source: Complied by Jessica Schüller/ Germany Career Coach.

You will notice in the table that it is not important how long you have learned a language, but how good you are at using that language. Let’s now return to our example. Since we do not know if the company we are applying to is familiar with CEFR, we will want to include both a textual description and the CEFR level.

• French: Native

• Turkish: Professional working proficiency (C1)

• English: Full professional fluency (B2)

• Spanish: Minimum professional fluency (B1)

• German: Elementary proficiency (A1/A2)

• Japanese: Elementary (A1)

Some suggest not to include a language if you only speak it at the beginner level. An exception to this is German, which you should always include even if you are at a beginning A1 level. With the Japanese language course, I would ask the applicant why they listed it. Is the company working with or somehow related to Japan, so that having some level of cultural knowledge is advantageous? Or why is it necessary to include this? Remember, we want to convey professionalism in everything we do on our application documents, and this requires making intentional decisions about what to include and what not to (within the requirements of a German resume - so no gaps of course!).

The basic rule of thumb is to include language skills if they are explicitly asked for in the job description, if you have a high level of proficiency, and/or if your skills would be an advantage for the company.

In any case, here is the before and after:

Do you see how much clearer the presentation of language skills are using this method? Even if the person reading your resume is not 100% familiar with the scale you are using, they will still be able to gauge the general premise of your skill level either through the written description, the CEFR scale, or the combination of both.

Using icons to display language skills

I do not advise using icons to display your language skills for two reasons 1) they cannot be read by applicant tracking systems (even though it should be noted that the vast majority of German organizations are not using these) and 2) they are so hard to interpret.

It basically boils down to misinterpretation. The old adage of glass half full/half empty comes into play here. Do your three filled-in dots for your German skills equate to an intermediate level of German, or a beginner level? This will range based on 1) how you interpret the dots based on your individual background and 2) how the reader interprets the dots based on their individual background. The way to play it safe? Do not leave anything on your resume up to interpretation. Stop using icons (or images!) because in the end, they do little to communicate your skill level accurately.

Here are the steps in adding your language skill levels:

Determine your language skill level

1. Choose a descriptive scale

2. Choose a numerical scale (CEFR preferred most of the time)

3. List languages in an order (preferred: native language first and then ordered by highest to lowest ability)

And that’s it! You have a language section that can be read by people who know language scales and those you do not. The equation for displaying language skills on your resume in Germany is thus:

LANGUAGE | DESCRIPTIVE LEVEL | NUMERICAL LEVEL

Now, onto a few more common questions about displaying language in German resumes.

Language certificates and which languages not to include in your resume

Now you may be wondering about language certificates. First, consider putting these in your attachments. Second, if you need to “prove” a level of proficiency with a language exam score because they are asking for a certificate in the job description, then by all means add it in after the numerical level. It could look like this:

LANGUAGE | DESCRIPTIVE LEVEL | NUMERICAL LEVEL | CERTIFICATE/SCORE

German: Elementary proficiency (A1/A2 - Goethe Institute Certificate)

However, if they do not ask for the language certificate, show them your proficiency level in a different way, such as adding the working language to each of your position descriptions. You could also add your languages to your LinkedIn and Xing profiles (and you should!) but more than that you could create LinkedIn and Xing profiles in multiple languages to showcase your ability to work at a professional (or at the very least intermediate) level in those languages. It is again most important that you accurately describe your level of proficiency, since you may be asked to speak it during the interview.

Listing language certificates and language school attendance certificates

Again, please make sure you actually need a language certificate before you go through the hassle of getting one. Most employers are much more concerned with your actual ability to work in the language than a piece of paper that just says you technically can. And of course, do not include any old certificates that no longer represent your actual language level.

If you attended a language school for more than six months full-time, then add it to your resume under the education or experience section (this will depend on each individual person and how their resume is designed). If you attended a language school for less than six months, or you did so while doing something else such as studying or working, please consider just including your language skill level with the certificate (if applicable). Language school attendance on its own should only be used as a filler if you are attending to fill in space in-between moving from abroad to Germany or after you have finished your degree and are looking for work in Germany. In such cases you likely need to include it in order to make up for the gap that would otherwise be there. If that is not your case, again, it is likely that you will be best off simply writing your language skills.

Get the German Resume Guide: Exactly what you need to know about writing a resume in Germany

Where to add languages to your resume

There are several places where you can include your language skills which help illustrate your skill level. The easiest and most common is to create a separate section for language skills, or include your language skills under a broader “Skills” category. Here are some other ideas:

• You can add the working language to each position under the “Experience” section

• Similarly, you can add the language you were taught in to the “Education” section

• You can briefly mention your language skills in your summary/objective section

You will most likely just need one simple language section as shown above.

One last thing...please do not do this

I know some people will tell you to translate your resume into German even if you do not speak any German. Please do not do this.

To illustrate, if I translated my resume into French and applied to jobs in France with it, without knowing any French, that would be strange, right? The same concept applies here.

You can apply in English to positions in Germany that are advertised in German, especially if you have a skillset that is in need. So why translate? Some will argue your resume won’t get looked at if you don't, but I beg to differ.

Even if you apply with a translated resume and get a call back, what will you say on the phone? That can be so frustrating for a recruiter - and when you are job-seeking, making a recruiter frustrated is the last thing you want to do. Always stay honest and transparent.

Yes, you may end up on the selection pile with a translated resume, but once they realize you not only do not have the language skills they need, but you also straight up lied in your application, they will likely not be calling you back.

Now, do exceptions to this exist? Of course. Exceptions always exist. But for the vast majority of applicants, lying will not pay off. In line with official advice on displaying language skills in German resumes from the Goethe Institute, always advocate for being honest with your abilities.

As I mentioned before, most German companies are not using resume filtering systems so this does not need to be your biggest concern. And if you are only applying at large German companies (e.g. ones listed on the DAX), then you have a different issue beyond language, namely application strategy. Learn more about diversifying your German job search strategy.

Let me know in the comments if you have any further questions about writing out your language skills in your German resume.

If you need personalized help, you can book a Germany Career Strategy session in which you can get individualized feedback from me on your resume. Learn more and schedule here.